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Sons of Italy Foundation Only Ethnic Organization in Alzheimer's Prestigious Donation Program
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - February
10, 2005
The
Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) has joined the Alzheimer's
Association as a member of its prestigious Zenith Fellows
Program. SIF is the first and only ethnic organization
out of 35 Zenith Fellows to join this program. As a
fellow in the Zenith Program, SIF has pledged to donate
$1 million dollars to the Association over the next
ten years.
The Alzheimer's Association, the world leader
in Alzheimer research and support, is the largest voluntary
health organization dedicated to finding prevention
methods, treatments and an eventual cure for Alzheimer's.
For nearly 25 years, the donor-supported, not-for-profit
Alzheimer's Association has provided information and
care consultation; created supportive services for
families; increased funding for dementia research;
and influenced public policy changes.
According to Alzheimer's
Association an estimated 4.5 million Americans have
Alzheimer's disease. By 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer's could
range from 11.3 million to 16 million. The current average lifetime cost for
care for an individual with the disease is $170,000.
"SIF is proud to be a part of the Zenith Fellows Program. Alzheimer's is a disease
that not only affects patients, but their families as well. Imagine yourself
having to choose between paying the health care for a parent with Alzheimer's
or sending a child to college. No one should have to make that choice," says
SIF President Paul S. Polo.
The SIF is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons
of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and longest-established national organization
for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. The SIF supports
education, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster relief and other
special projects. Since its inception in 1959, the SIF has donated nearly $89
million to these causes.
The Zenith Fellows Program began in 1990 and has given
over $25 million to the Alzheimer's Association. Other Zenith Fellows include,
A.W.A.R.E- Colorado, Palmolive Venture, Dart Foundation, Frazier's David Hyde
Pierce, and the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust. The addition of SIF as the
only ethnic organization adds to the growing diversity of Zenith Fellow members.
Established in 1905, OSIA has a network of more than 700 chapters coast to coast. OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To learn more, visit OSIA on the Web at www.osia.org.
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